


James Potter and the New Marauders

by Anophelia Miratio (YuriPan), Nessie - Pillow Biting Monster (YuriPan), YuriPan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-14 15:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8020012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuriPan/pseuds/Anophelia%20Miratio, https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuriPan/pseuds/Nessie%20-%20Pillow%20Biting%20Monster, https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuriPan/pseuds/YuriPan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why should the story end with Harry? Albus, James, Rose and Scorpius have a brand new story waiting to be told. As the first year of Albus, Rose and Scorpius begins, they are to discover they're bound to follow their parents' footsteps, breaking rules and getting involved in unexpected magical adventures. A new dark wizard is in town, lurking in the shadows, waiting for years to make his move. Seeing his chance finally emerging, he is determined not to let it pass.</p><p>(The story is the first part of a series and will span over years 1 & 2 for Albus, Rose and Scorpius and years 2 & 3 for James)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Underage Wizards Wander Where they Shouldn't and Get Tangled in Strange Situations

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading the story. Well, let me set this thing right from the beginning. I will do my best to stick to canon, perhaps fill in some gaps of the series, but in general JK's rules of her universe apply. I do not consider HP and the Cursed Child canon, but I am borrowing facts that I liked from it (such as Scorpius's mother's name) and these belong to the CC's authors, not to me, obviously. 
> 
> The story belongs to me and 4 more people who helped in the writing of the first 5 chapters (and one is still helping tons with her edits still). Their pen names are Alexandria, AllStar, ShadowKissed and McKenzie. I thank them for their assistance with the story and their names aren't linked to profiles here because they're not members of Archive of Our Own. Any similarities with real life people and situations are purely coincidental.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!  
> YuriPan

 

**_“Looking for trouble,_ ** **he'd say.** **_You're gonna look til you find it._ **

**_Trouble is the looker, she'd answer. It keeps looking till it finds you. Might as well find it first._ **

**_Why do you want to die?_ **

**_I don't,_ ** **she'd say.** **_I just want to live._ ** **”**

**\- Victoria Schwab**

 

**Cha** **p** **ter 1** **:**

**_In Which Underage Wizards Wander Where they Shouldn't and Get Tangled in Strange Situations_ **

 

~ Scorpius & James ~

 

Shopping in Diagon Alley should have been the most thrilling activity of August; and it was for most young witches and wizards, but Scorpius Malfoy was not one of them. He had been to Diagon Alley countless times. The shops filled with magical objects and fascinating ongoings that were a daily occurrence there, familiar and expected to him. Hence he was impervious to the cloaks that ranged from Egyptian cotton to Chinese silk, he didn’t bat an eyelash when concoctions erupted and produced different smells and results and certainly didn’t ask foolish questions about the magical world.

He was Scorpius Malfoy, and he was on his way to a prestigious school where the darkest wizard attained his knowledge, the greatest Headmaster in all the magical world had once taught and where one of the greatest battles was fought. All this he knew by reading  _ The Twentieth Century, a History _ and from his own father, of course who had firsthand accounts of this  _ great battle _ .

That fateful day, his parents accompanied him to buy the required supplies for first years. In front of Amanuensis Quills his mother, Astoria Malfoy, took out the yellowed envelope with emerald writing, which contained his acceptance letter and his list. She reached for the list, tapped it with her wand and handed it to Draco. He removed a pouch from his pocket and along with the list, he offered them to Scorpius.

Intrigued Scorpius took them, marveling at the item that landed with an audible thump in his open palm. Among the to’s and fro’s of the lively wizarding community, his father had given him one of the family’s heirlooms. He looked at his father, just to make sure he was certain of giving him the pouch and not about to snatch it back on the pretext that he made a mistake.

It jingled with any slight movement; it was filled with money. ‘ _ Flying broomsticks, my father gave me the pouch full of money!’ _

“It’s yours, son. There’s enough money to buy your school supplies and have some sickles left over for your term.” Draco’s gaze was a soft one, his words were anything but. “I suggest you use it wisely.” Sometimes, like now, he never truly knew if his father loved him. Did that mean he trusted him, or was he just trying to keep him busy with the money instead of having to give him more attention? 

He nevertheless nodded, “Aye, sir.”

“Good. Your mother and I are going to pick up some décor for the manor. You are free to go.” His mother’s gaze filled with love and pride.

Given free rein, Scorpius went out and about, visiting all the shops that caught his attention to collect all the required things from his list. Soon after his first purchase, he saw a tick, a faint brush of dark ink onto the paper, next to the word  _ Inks _ on his list. He realized Astoria enchanted his letter, so that every single thing he bought was marked with that same tick afterward.

His shopping progressed quickly, thanks to Penny, the house elf loyal to the Malfoy family, who waited for him outside each shop, relieving him of the weight of his shopping bags, which she transported back to the Manor. Shopping came to an end quickly, but he didn’t want to look for his parents just yet. Content to just cruise around, he was left to wander aimlessly, straying away from the widest and most crowded alleys and ending up in some long forgotten, dirty and utterly deserted by anything animate.

Knockturn Alley was dark and somber, hags and weird blokes were to be found there. But he had paid a visit there couple of times, some with his father and others with his grandfather, but never alone. Yet, what did he have to lose? More than sick of seeing happy and merry families shopping, or worse yet, kids milling around stores laughing and jostling about, he decided to venture deeper.

As a child, Scorpius had been afraid of the lecherous and cunning eyes of hags and wizards alike. Father soon taught him never to show fear, for it was a weakness, something these people feed on as one might find a pastry with chocolate truffle on the top particularly tasty.

Passing various stores made him realize that he had never been so far in. Display windows became murkier with grime encrusted on the surface, and the cobbled ground became nothing more than broken stones and plain dirt. Dark shadows lurked in corners out of sight, hooded figures kept their eyes averted to the ground, and as his feet traveled further, even they became scarce. All the while, thoughts and sights kept him from bolting out of there, even though he was scared witless.

In the complete opposite side of the famed wizarding marketplace James Potter ran ahead of his parents, happy to be rid of the shopping of his own supplies. After a long, tiring day of hunting books and quills and such, dull objects with no charm compared to shrunken skulls and invisible ink, he finally broke away from his parents in search of his partner in crime: Fred. It didn't take long to find him. After a short conversation, Fred said that he had something to show him. Unfortunately, Fred had longer legs than his cousin did and by the time he realized where his winding path was taking them, it was too late. They were in Knockturn Alley.

James looked around as they walked farther and farther into the alley. It was eerie in and of itself, without the numerous hags and other demented wizards. The brick walls on either side of them were covered in thick slime, ivy and moss. James shuddered. This was not at all what he had pictured Knockturn Alley to look like.

After walking in silence for a while, Fred spoke up. "You know that Muggle fairytale? It's called Huntley and Griddle or something like that."

James nodded. He knew that one.

Farther behind, the two animated voices travelled to where Scorpius was. Without telling his feet to proceed, they moved on their own accord. Too curious to turn back, he followed the direction of the voices. They were out of place; people knew how to behave here, yet those two had disturbingly open faces. He knew they were lost even before the same voice spoke, "Well, I think we should have left breadcrumbs or something, because I have no idea where I am.”

Scorpius scoffed. Bunch of foolish kids really. It was probably their first time in Knockturn Alley by the way their eyes darted around, searching for who knew what. Part of him felt sorry for them because they were in exactly the same situation as he was, but another part of him felt insanely jealous. He was lost  _ alone _ they had each other. Quickly, he shrugged away the feelings of self pity.

His knee-jerk reaction should have been to ignore them both, but something prompted him to follow them. With hurried steps, he trailed after them and in his urgency to follow them, he didn't notice a wizard with a scaly face and glassy eyes until he bumped into him. Afraid of being left behind, he walked around the wizard and trailed after them. The brown haired lad had bumped into someone.

James didn't bother looking at whom he had run into, but he froze as the figure began to speak in Parseltongue. "Start at the abandoned pond. First left, then right. Straight for a time, then right once more. Five paces back the way you came, then sit down. I will find you upon the stroke of midnight. The night before they assemble… Remember that it will be a full moon. Watch for wolves of unusual size." James looked up slowly. He had carelessly run into an old man. He seemed to be repeating directions to himself, because he didn't pay any attention to the fact that the boy had nearly plowed him over.

He jumped backward as he felt something winding its way around his legs. He looked down and saw a huge snake slithering on the cobblestones. A sudden thought popped into his head: Perhaps the snake knew how to get out of Knockturn Alley. 

James never took his eyes off it, even when Fred kicked him in the back as hard as he could. "James! What in the world are you thinking?! Stand up right now and get away from that snake... and that man! He's hissing!" Fred was in a complete panic. James realized that he didn't know about Parseltongue.

Before Fred could say or do anything else, James spoke to the snake using its native tongue. "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get out of Knockturn Alley?"

A voice replied in Parseltongue, but it was obviously not the snake answering his question. "There's no point in asking him. He doesn't know his left from his right. He's blind, you see. Even so, it wouldn't really matter that he has been denied the right to see. All snakes have horrendous orientation skills." James stared at the old man, realizing that he had been the one who had spoken.

He heard Fred make a sound of surprise, but he ignored it.

"Then may I ask you how to get out of Knockturn?" James asked politely, still using the native tongue of snakes.

"You may, but I have the option of not answering you, if I so choose." He smiled a toothless grin at the boy.

James frowned, not sure how to answer. "If I ask, will I waste my breath?"

"That depends on what you want to hear.”

"Sir?" He decided politeness was the way to win the answer to his question. "What is your name?"

"My christened name is for my ears alone, but I am called by those close to me Milton. Timothy Milton."

His demeanor was quickly making James lose his nerve as well, but he was able to keep his composure through sheer will. "Mr. Milton, I need to know how to leave Knockturn Alley."

"I will teach you the way out, if you swear to me on all that you hold dear two things."

"Anything!" James said, a little bit too enthusiastically, even he was able to hear the sharp hiss in his voice that time. He heard Fred take a step back.

"Firstly, do not tell anyone about this meeting. It is for you and I alone to know of. Secondly, when you return to school this year, you will meet a boy who goes by the same name that I do. He also speaks our language." It was obvious that by ‘our language' he meant the language of the snakes, or Parseltongue. "At this time, I shan't tell you how Timothy and I know each other, or why we have the same name, but there will come a time when he needs your help. You must help him, as payment for what I am about to do for you. If you do not help him, I will kill you. Do not underestimate me, James Sirius Potter." 

James took a deep breath. He needed to keep myself calm if only for Fred's sake. "You have my word."

"Would you be willing to do an Unbreakable Vow?" He snarled the question.

"Pardon me?"

"An Unbreakable Vow! It is a magical incantation in which one wizard makes an oath to another. In other words, you making an oath to me. If you accept the conditions of the Unbreakable Vow and you break them, you shall die. I have yet to know someone who has broken this vow, so I am unable to tell you how you will die. I only know from rumor that it is excruciatingly painful. We would join hands and a third person, designated as the ‘bonder’, shall place the tip of his wand onto their hands, upon which one person asks another person three separated terms of the Vow, where the person will respond ‘I will.’ I cannot even begin to fathom the fact that you have never heard of this," he said impatiently.

"I hadn't until now, sir." James gulped, "But… couldn't you just… take my word for it? I don't want to die."

"Of course not. Especially not now that you have proven that you are considering the possibility of breaking the vow. But, then again, the only way that you and your friend will get out of Knockturn Alley is if you comply."

As he said this, James’s thoughts automatically went to his family... Fred's family. He couldn't imagine how distraught his uncle George would be if he lost another Fred. And his own parents. He realized at that moment, that both Fred and his own namesakes had died at young ages. They were the living memories of both Fred Weasley, Uncle George's twin brother, and James Potter, his dad’s own dad. He couldn't imagine how his dad would feel losing that connection to the past that he didn't even remember.

"So… What is your answer?"

"I'll do it," James replied, his voice shaky.

"Excellent!" He turned to look at Fred, who was a lot farther back than he remembered him being. "Friend of James Potter, do you know how to perform an Unbreakable Vow?" Until Mr. Milton spoke in English, James had almost forgotten that the whole conversation had been in Parseltongue.

Scorpius’s breath caught once he processed what the old goon had said. Did he really mean the Unbreakable Vow?! An Unbreakable Vow wasn’t done in an alley, for Merlin’s beard! Few wizards ever did it because of what it meant. He knew of it only because Father had mentioned it on one rare occasion that he’d taken him to his work. He learned to hard facts: few people are foolish enough to commit to it and in case of not keeping the vow, you were sure to meet a sure demise. Were these to blockheads thick or plain gullible?

Knockturn Alley wasn’t the place to trust someone. Why would it be the place to make an Unbreakable Vow? Scorpius kept observing from his hiding place with wide eyes.

Fred shook his head and took a step back. "Asubio, bring me my prey." Milton said in Parseltongue. James gasped as he realized that the name of his snake was the same as the infamous Lord Voldemort. It surprised him that Milton had the nerve to name his snake something so awful. But looking at his face, he realized that it was completely reasonable for his snake to be called what it was.

He watched as Asubio wound herself around the legs of his cousin. "He won't hurt you unless he has to," Milton said calmly.

"You... you speak snake!" Fred said, looking at Milton in shock.

James nodded at Fred and started responding to him in Parseltongue before correcting himself. "Fred, Mr. Milton is going to show us how to get out of here. But you have to come over here and help us with something. I've made a promise to him that I will assist his... friend while at Hogwarts this year, but he wants me to make an Unbreakable Vow so that he knows I will keep it. If I don't, he'll kill us. Or his snake will." At this, Fred ran forward, toward them, stumbling as Asubio tried to free herself as he ran.

He stopped short right next to James. "Now, boy, you need to know the basics for being the "Bonder" for an Unbreakable Vow. All you need is your wand." Fred drew his wand. James was surprised that he had it with him. "Very good. Now, James, grab my hand." He nodded his approval as James did so. "Remember, all you must do is say ‘I will' after each condition." Milton looked at Fred, "Place the tip of your wand on our interlocked hands." After Fred did this he added, "No matter what happens at this point, do not pull your wand away, otherwise both of you will die." Fred looked extremely pale as he nodded.

Milton took a deep breath and stared James down. If it wasn't for his family, James would have told Milton to kill him. He had half a mind to do so, and most likely would have, except he couldn't be responsible for Fred's death. Even if he had gotten them both into this mess.

"James Sirius Potter." As he said the name, James wondered to himself how he knew it. When he had said it before, he hadn't noticed that he had never supplied him with his name, as he had done. He felt a shudder go down his spine. "Do you promise that no matter what, you will do as I have asked, and assist my acquaintance in what he must do at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

He asked this condition in Parseltongue, and James gave the reply in the same language. "Yes– I mean, I will."

A rope-like flame emerged from the tip of Fred's wand and wrapped itself tightly around their hands. If it would have been possible, James would have pulled away right then and there. He saw Fred jump out of the corner of his eye.

"And, if you must, will you protect him from any danger he may, or may not encounter while doing this?"

James took a deep breath, "I . . . I will."

Another tongue of flame came out of the wand and wrapped itself around the first.

"And, will you be sure to not tell anyone about what we have spoken of?"

"I will..." James almost added not, but realized that even with this ‘oath' it would be wrong because of the way he phrased it. All of this Unbreakable Vow had been spoken in Parseltongue. Just as quickly as the last flame wrapped itself around their clasped hands, they turned into smoke and disappeared in the air. Fred pulled his wand away.

Milton continued to look at him, even as he released the boy’s hand, "Do you have your wand so that you can perform the same act on your friend and I?" James wondered why Milton didn't know Fred's name. Maybe he did, but his name wasn't essential to what was happening here.

He shook his head, he didn't carry his wand everywhere. It was in his trunk at home. Potter rules to narrow down the possible pranks he could do. 

"I suppose I will have to do this the old-fashioned way." Milton sighed as though he were bored. "Obliviate!" he said, pointing his wand at Fred. Fred looked surprised at first, but then a look of confusion crossed his face. James looked alarmed, but the old wizard reassured him, "I only erased his memory up to the moment before you ran into me. Do not forget your vow. Keep walking forward, you are going the right direction. Do not get off the path. In about a moment you will return to Diagon Alley," he said before he disapparated.  

_ Blast my luck that had me pinned between following the two and the man!  _ Scorpius thought to himself. Afraid of losing sight of them, he decided to risk everything and follow their trail. Only when he saw the darkness receding and light touching on the alley, did he breathe a sigh of relief. They were back on Diagon Alley.

Scorpius decided enough was enough. They might have saved him from being utterly lost in the alley and dragons know what else, but they were also a magnet for strange things to happen. For one, one of them spoke ‘snake’. They were foolish enough to venture to dark places and make Unbreakable Vows with the first wizard that lost his Merlin marbles. They  both reeked of trouble just waiting to happen. Yep, that was enough for him.

Decisively, he turned the other way, not sparing one backward glance. His parents waiting by the entrance of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes store. “Did you get everything, Scorpius?” Astoria asked, stroking his hair. Although he appreciated the gesture, he wasn't sure he liked my mother acting like he was a baby in the middle of Diagon Alley.

He nodded, his brain blank and mechanically returned the list to her.

“My, my,” she murmured, tapping a long, perfectly manicured nail over the list. “You forgot one thing. The most important of all.”

“Did I?” Scorpius asked, barely able to keep up with the conversation.

“Your wand! Well, worry not, we still have time!” She led him through one of the most crowded streets, their shoes clicking every time they touched the cobbled pavement. Draco lingered a few steps behind all the way, as if he was putting a distance between himself and them. “Draco? Are you coming?”

Draco gave her a grim smile and waved his hand. “I have a few things to take care of. I'll meet you later.” He left, his dark cloak waving behind him.

*** * * * ***

It might have been only a few days since that fateful day in Knockturn Alley, but the excitement of the upcoming school year was more than enough to make the terrifying experience slip away from James’s mind, as the Potters walked across Kings Cross Station.

"I'm sorry Albus, you're just doomed to be in Slytherin. You have all of the characteristics of someone I knew who ended up there," James said solemnly to his younger brother as they walked across the crowded train station. Teasing Albus in this way had become a daily occurrence ever since he had received his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. It had yet to become boring, because his brother’s reaction changed each time. James almost grinned at his expression, but was able to compose himself.

"I  _ won't _ ! I  _ won't _ be in Slytherin!" Albus cried in dismay, looking up at James as though he had been completely betrayed.

"James, give it a rest," Ginny chided. She was tired of him teasing Albus constantly.

James grinned widely at Albus. "I only said he might be. There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyth–" The expression on Ginny’s face stopped him mid-sentence. 

James turned and saw the barrier between platforms nine and ten. He quickly took the trolley from his mum and sprinted away. After only a second he was enveloped by the wall, and was on Platform 9 ¾.

Pushing his luggage over toward the train, he found the conductor, who was putting everything into the train with levitation charms. James quickly relieved himself of his luggage and began looking for familiar faces. It seemed as though most of the people were older and he didn't know any of them except those who were in Gryffindor. The air was thick with steam from the train, but he was able to make his way around well enough.

He turned a corner and stopped abruptly as he saw familiar people... Teddy and Victoire... snogging! He watched them for a few moments in shock. Teddy was practically family. In fact, he was closer than some of the family. And Victoire  _ was _ family! James was horrified. He almost walked away right then and there, but he needed to say  _ something _ . 

James walked over to Teddy and tapped him on the shoulder. "What are you doing? You do realize that what you are doing is completely wrong don't you? It's this kind of thing that makes families like ours jinx each other in the back when no one is looking!  You may just start a blood feud for all you know! But all you care about is the fact that you are lip-locking each other and transmitting Muggle diseases."

Teddy looked more surprised than James had, for reasons that the young boy couldn't fathom. "What are you talking about James? I don't think you even know what you are saying. Haven't you ever seen your parents snog each other? It isn't just Muggles that do this kind of thing. And what blood feud? I thought our family was as close-knit as any wizarding family. Especially our parents. And I'm not technically part of your family. Not by genetics anyway. So I am allowed to snog Victoire all I want, thank you very much! All I am doing is seeing Victoire off. I'm not going to see her for a while. Now get out of here!" James really didn't want to get on the wrong side of Teddy. He could have quite a nasty temper when he wanted to. So he turned and walked away.

He began looking for his family in earnest, wanting to tell them what he had seen. He ran through the crowd, occasionally pushing someone when they didn't move quickly enough. After a few minutes he found them. All of them. Standing around... doing nothing.

"Teddy's back there. Just seen him! And guess what he's doing?  _ Snogging _ Victoire!" James said breathlessly. He looked up at the adults, glancing from face to face. None of them seemed remotely fazed by the news. He decided he needed to emphasize. " _ Our _ Teddy!  _ Teddy Lupin _ ! Snogging  _ our _ Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing–"

"You interrupted them? You are so like Ron–" Ginny cut him off.

"–and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's  _ snogging _ her!"

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married! Teddy would really be part of the family then!" his sister whispered excitedly.

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," Harry pointed out, "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"

James liked this idea. "Yeah! I don't mind sharing with Al–Teddy could have my room!”

Harry shook his head. "No, you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished." He looked down at his watch, "It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board." 

Ginny walked over and hugged James, "Don't forget to give Neville our love!"

"Mum! I can't give a professor  _ love _ !" he retorted. 

"But you know Neville–"

James once again rolled his eyes at her, "Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him  _ love _ .” He looked at his brother. “See you later, Al. Watch out for the thestrals." 

He smiled at Albus as he swung his leg out to kick him. James’s shoe successfully made contact with his shin. Albus didn't seem to notice. 

He looked at Albus and saw a look of pure terror on his face. "I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!"

He smiled mischievously before boarding the train. Fred, was waiting for him. He had obviously overheard what he had just said to Albus, because he was grinning ear to ear. "Couldn't have done it better myself," he said in approval as he grabbed his hand and pulled him into a bear hug. "You're getting better and better everyday, James."

"What's that supposed to mean? That I'm still learning?" James scoffed as he pulled away from his embrace and headed into the nearest compartment. Fred followed and held up various contraband that he had snuck onto the train. The items ranged from Portable Swamps to Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. It was going to be a good year.

James took a Headless Hat from him and sat down on one of the seats in the compartment. Fred began searching through a black bag. It was obvious that he was looking for something, but James had no idea what it was. Suddenly he pulled out some Stink Pellets. He held them up as if he had just won the Triwizard Tournament. James couldn't help but smile at him.

A loud noise made them both jump out of their seats. He looked at the floor, where the sound had come from and couldn't believe what he saw. "You told your mum and mine that you weren't, under any circumstances, going to sneak one of these onto the train, let alone the school!" James cried out when he saw the circular tube that was clearly labeled "Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks."

"You really need to learn to lighten up about a lot of things, James." He shook his head at him. “Has anything I taught you sunk into that small skull of yours?"

Fred grinned jokingly, and James relaxed. "I suppose you're right. And these fireworks will let us have all the more pranks to irritate the professors, Mr. Crubbs and Mr. Filch."

"Exactly!"

“Fred? Did you maybe see where I put my–” Roxanne asked as she stormed into the compartment, her dark brown hair pulled in a high ponytail. The light dancing on her face lit it up, showing her natural, bronze highlights more than usual. The expression that was plastered on her face was priceless.

“Hello to you too, Roxanne,” James said, grinning from ear to ear.

The eyes of Fred’s twin sister were stuck on a small, deep, purple pouch, the one James was hundred percent sure that she’d recognize as Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. Helping her Dad at the shop all summer long, it was guaranteed that she could spot that kind of thing from miles away.

“I have some spares for you too, sis,” Fred said, his expression reminding James of the Cornwall Pixies they had to immobilize last year in their final DADA exams.

“I don’t want any of that!” She exclaimed, her green eyes still huge. “How did you  _ manage _ to sneak all that in here?”

“Jeesh! Roxie, you sound like Aunt Hermione!” Fred mocked. “Chillax!”

Fred’s mischievous Cornwall Pixie grin was mirrored on his twin. “ _ Seriously  _ now…  _ How _ did you do that?”

James rolled his eyes.  _ I should have known!  _ He thought to himself _. These two were so different with each other, Roxanne being more quiet and calculating, Fred acting more on impulse and thoughtlessly getting us constantly in trouble, but deep inside, those two were two sides of the same coin. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with… _

“Well…” Fred started mysteriously, having that old wise master look on his face as he interwove his fingers and crossed his knees, placing his hands on top of them. “It  _ wasn’t  _ easy…”

Roxanne’s attention was fully turned to her brother, seeming fascinated by his achievement. At times like this, James wondered if Roxanne had potential of being a pro prankster, just like her father and brother.

“What’s that look for?!” Roxanne asked her cousin, half accusing and half teasing.

“Me?” James asked innocently, lifting his eyebrows.

And just like that, James was able to push the idea of the mysterious student in the back of his mind, ignoring the goosebumps on his arms.

_ Man, this is gonna be a good year! _


	2. In Which Creatures Lurk in the Depths of the Luggage Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to help out in case you are missing some kind of cannon info from the universe that I'm using, but is not very well known, I'll add those "glossaries" at the beginning of the chapters if I've used terms about food, creatures, people etc to help out so you don't have to wonder who or what that is until I've described it long enough in the chapter.
> 
> Glossary:
> 
> Kneazle: The Kneazle was originally bred in Britain, though it is now exported worldwide. A small cat-like creature with freckled, speckled or spotted fur, outsize ears and a tail like a lion's, the Kneazle is intelligent, independent and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavory or suspicious characters and can be relied upon to guide its owner safely home if they're lost. Kneazles have up to eight kittens in a litter and can interbreed with cats. Licences are required for ownership as (like Crups and Fwoopers) Kneazles are sufficiently unusual in appearance to attract Muggle interest.
> 
> Jarvey: The Jarvey is found in Britain, Ireland and North America. It resembles an overgrown ferret in most respects, except for the fact that it can talk. True conversation, however, it is beyond the wit of Jarvey, which tends to confine itself to short (and often rude) phrases in an almost constant stream. Jarveys live mostly below ground, where they pursue gnomes, though they will also eat moles, rats and voles.
> 
> (The text does not belong to me, this work belongs to JK and it's from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them")

**_Anything is possible on a train: a great meal, a binge, a visit from card players, an intrigue, a good night's sleep, and strangers' monologues framed like Russian short stories._ **

**-** **Paul Theroux** **,** **The Great Railway Bazaar**

 

**Cha** **p** **ter 2:**

**_In Which Creatures Lurk in the Depths of the Luggage Car_ **

 

~  Albus ~

 

The train shook abruptly, causing Albus to fall back in his seat. He slipped his head out of the door, peeking out in the corridor. He was trying to figure out what happened, like almost every other student in the train. Rose had  _ Hogwarts, a History _ opened on her lap, reading about the Great Hall  _ again _ . Ignis, finally tired of playing with Albus’s chocolate frog, had let it go. The frog was still jumping around restlessly; it probably wouldn’t stop until it melted, or someone took it. The Kneazle was sleeping now, curled next to Rose.

Albus exchanged a look with a brown-haired girl, who looked curiously around from her own compartment. Both of them returned to their seats as soon as the train moved again. A while later the lady with the food trolley started passing from compartment to compartment, assuring the students that the way the train shook before was nothing worrisome and that something had probably been caught in the wheels.

“Rose, I’m going to take a look around,” Albus informed his cousin and stood up.

“Hmmm…” she murmured, absorbed in her book.

As soon as the door opened, the chocolate frog jumped out and vanished somewhere.  _ Well, no problem. I couldn’t eat it anyway after Ignis toyed with it on the train’s carpet…  _ he thought.

Walking around, passing in front of other compartments, he realised that most students were gathered in big groups of five or even more people, while Rose and he were alone in their compartment. This was because they didn’t know many students here, except of course their huge family… each of whom was with their own group of friends.

He pulled a small chocolate bar out of his pocket, and after making sure it wasn’t from Uncle George’s shop and wouldn’t cause him a pucking fit or have any of the other equally unpleasant side effects, he took a bite. His dad always used to say that a small bite of chocolate helps with stress.

Without realising it, he stumbled upon the brown-haired girl he had seen before.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t notice you…” Albus started to apologise.

“It’s okay. I was rushing out… I didn’t notice you either.” She gave him a sweet smile and tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear, making him think of his own hair, which was messy as usual, like his dad’s. His dad had told him that his uncle, Vernon Dursley, had hated it. Albus had met the Dursleys only once, so he had to trust his dad on that one.

“I’m Albus,” he introduced myself, thinking how rude it would be to leave without at least saying his name.

“I’m Emily Rose. You can just call me Emily.”

“Funny. My cousin’s name is Rose.”

They shook hands, and she seemed to notice the half-eaten piece of chocolate. Her expression finally turned… relieved. “Are you Muggle-born too? I picked a random compartment. It was filled with children who were all from wizard families and I just felt so… I mean of all compartments I had to go to _ this _ one… I didn’t dare to utter a word. I was so afraid I’d make a fool of myself… everyone was talking about magic like it was something so natural…”

Albus wanted to correct her, but she seemed to be really happy she could finally get it all out, so he thought it would be nicer to let her finish first.

“Actually, I am from a wizard family,” he said quietly.

She blushed from embarrassment, and her hair fell in her face again. “So sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay. You’re not the only one feeling lost in here. It’s my first year, so I can’t say I’m in a better position. Everyone in my family is with their own friends – too busy to show me and my cousin around. Of course she’s a moving encyclopaedia, so we don’t need them for a tour, but…” His words were meant to soothe her, but she looked even more nervous than before. “You know what? Come with me and my cousin. I think you really would like her.”

He turned around and hurried back to his compartment. Rose had taken off her shoes and had brought her knees close to her chest, her nose literally buried in the book. Ignis was fast asleep, squeezed between Rose and the window, his tail hanging lazily over the edge of the seat. Albus cleared his throat discreetly, and his cousin looked up.

“Rose, this is Emily. Emily, this is my cousin, Rose.”

Rose jumped up, placed the leather-bound, yellow-paged book on the booth, and shook Emily’s hand. “Nice to meet you. So you’re a first year as well?”

“Yes. And an absolutely horrified one too,” she admitted.

“Why?” Rose asked curiously.  _ She is so lucky _ , Albus thought. In that clever mind of hers, most things were black and white. If she knew how something worked, she didn’t really need anything else; she was absolutely sure of how things would happen. Like the fact that they were both going to Gryffindor because of their character traits and the history that their families had in that particular House.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Did you check your school books?  _ Hogwarts, a History _ covers almost everything according to my mom. I brought her copy instead of buying a new one. It has notes all over the place.” Rose lifted the book and offered it to Emily, who hesitantly took it and sat next to Ignis, looking at him as if he’d jump on her any second now.

“My books are all second-hand. I got them from a small shop in Diagon Alley. Almost all of them have dog tags and look really fragile… I didn’t really dare to open them. Some looked like they’d fall apart or become pulverized by the smallest touch.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. There is a really simple spell to fix that. If you give me the books when we get to school, I can repair them for you.” Among others, Rose had checked out her Charms and Transfiguration spells and was excited to try some as soon as they set foot in Hogwarts. That was the only thing she had talked about during the past week.

Emily looked at Rose as if she had spoken Greek or something, but nodded. “Okay.”

“So, it’s really easy to explain how students get sorted out.”

“S-s-sorted out? What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing frightening, don’t worry about it,” Albus said, smiling. The thoughts of him becoming a Slytherin came rushing back.  _ But Rose said that we don’t fit in Slytherin.  _ Dad  _ said we won’t be sent there if we don’t want to. We will _ not  _ be Slytherin. We’re a hundred percent Gryffindor… _

Rose opened the book again, which still lay in Emily’s arms, and Albus saw the school’s crest in a coloured picture, where the animal on each of the four emblems of the Houses moved, just like most pictures in magical books.

“The school is split into four Houses,” Rose said. “Gryffindor, that’s the red one. Its symbol is the lion. Then there is Hufflepuff; see the yellow piece of the crest right under Gryffindor’s piece? It has the badger representing it. Ravenclaw is the blue one with the eagle and the green one with the snake is Slytherin.” Emily was completely silent while Rose explained to her.

“Then, there is the Sorting Hat.” She flipped the page, pointing at a moving picture of a grey-brown hat and tapping her thin, pink finger on it. The hat moved its tip from side to side, as if it was singing. Albus silently wished it wouldn’t sing him to his House in front of everyone.

“They put it on your head. It figures out your character and decides which House fits you best. And while you are at school, you sleep in your House’s dormitories, eat at your House’s tables, have classes with the students that are at the same House as you, and so on.”

Emily’s face seemed to relax a little, and her hands stopped being two tight fists half-hidden by the book.

“That seems easy. Do you know in which House you are going to be?” she asked.

“Um, we’re not–” Albus didn’t manage to finish his sentence because Rose told her that they were going to Gryffindor, like everyone else in their family had.

They sat and talked to Emily, answering all her questions about the school and the Wizarding world. It wasn’t much later when Ignis woke up, looking sleepily around the compartment. It took him only seconds to spot the intruder and… rub his head against her sweater. Emily was lucky that Ignis appeared to like her. If not, she would probably have had a scratch somewhere on her hands or face by now. Ignis was an odd creature, unbelievably suspicious by his nature. All Kneazles were meant to be like that, to be able to spot the liars and the frauds. Since Emily was neither of those things, Albus didn’t consider it necessary to mention it.  

“Did you bring a pet along?” he asked, thinking about his new, still unnamed owl.

Emily shook her head. “No… I wasn’t sure I could afford feeding it. Pet foods are really expensive…”

“Hmm…” Rose seemed thoughtful. “I think the school takes care of that. I could ask my parents if you want.”

“Um… thanks. But I’m not sure I’ll get to buy one this year.”

“Well, it’s not bad to know anyway,” Rose replied, beaming at her.

“I have an owl,” Albus said. “But it doesn’t have a name yet. My dad picked a name from a history book for his own owl when he was a student, so I thought I could do the same maybe…”

“An owl? Wow. Can I see it?” she asked, smiling shyly.

“Sure,” he agreed. He remembered his dad loading the owl in a carriage towards the end of the train, where only luggage and pets were placed.

 

* * * * *

 

Uneasy hooting and hisses echoed as the various pets around the carriage came around, noticing the children’s entrance. Emily flinched at the sounds and approached with small, quiet steps.

“It’s okay,” Albus assured her. “They mean no harm; we just woke them up.”

She gave him a shaky nod, and Rose pulled both his and Emily’s hands as she spotted his owl and rushed to it. The owl, startled by their noisy footsteps on the metallic floor of the carriage, flew back, its wings hitting against the back of the bars, and the cage almost fell on the ground.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Albus kept saying as he caught the cage until the owl stilled. It gently bit his finger, and he knew it had calmed down.

“Doesn’t it hurt you?” Emily asked, taking some hesitant steps forward and crooking her head on the side to take a better look. The owl kept nibbling on Albus’s finger, never breaking the skin.

“No.” He chuckled. “But it tickles a little.”

With a demanding meow, Ignis announced his presence and climbed on Albus’s trunk, sitting right next to the cage.

Rose and Ignis exchanged a look before Rose said, “Don’t even think about it. That bird is way too big for you to eat.” Ignis looked down as if disappointed and started licking his paws lazily.

“The only reason you wouldn’t let your cat eat my owl is because it’s too  _ big _ for him?!” Albus exclaimed.

Rose gave a foxy grin and stroked Ignis’s head.

A ear-piercing voice made Albus turn around, forgetting his cousin and their new friend momentarily. “Idiots! Idiots! You’re all idiots!”

“What’s that?” Emily asked, covering her ears with her hands.

“I dunno,” Albus said, curiously looking around, trying to spot the source of the insulting and annoying noise.

“Idiots!” the shrieking voice said again.

“Probably some kind of object that’s meant to insult everyone in the same room with them?” he murmured, deciding it was coming from somewhere on his left.

“Careful,” Emily said.

“Don’t be scared. Whatever it is, it can’t be dangerous. Our luggage is checked before the train leaves the station,” Mrs. Know-All said. She was talking with such a certainty about it, as if she was the one who had checked the luggage.

Her explanation didn’t appear to hold much comfort for Emily. Albus took a couple more steps forward. The voice didn’t say anything else again, and he began to doubt he was going the right way. Something started shaking on the pile of luggage and pet transport cages, making him think twice about moving again.

Rose pushed past him, mouthing  _ Chicken _ at him. That made him follow her instantly and peek over her shoulder as she spotted the moving cage. It had the initials S.M. carved over the lock.

“Maybe you shouldn’t touch it,” Emily spoke Albus’s thoughts aloud, and he was glad she did because he didn’t want to give Rose any more reason to call him a chicken. She was always a little braver than him,, a real daredevil. Albus wasn’t a chicken though. He just preferred to stay out of trouble.

“Come on. What’s gonna happen? It’s not like there’s a  _ Monster Book of Monsters _ in it!” Rose said, smiling cunningly.

“What’s a Monster… whatever?” Emily asked, and by the sound of her voice, they could tell that she didn’t like the name. Albus remembered the growling book in the big study room at the first floor at their house… It was always tied, and he had never seen his dad or mum touch it. It seemed dangerous. And Rose knowing about it and acting like she had actually opened it before made the whole thing just worse. Albus decided it wasn’t a good idea to explain all that to Emily though.

“Never mind. Just a book. No big deal,” he muttered.

In the meantime, Rose’s hands were working miracles, trying to pull the cage from between other trunks. “Besides,” she continued, unaware of Emily’s worry, “I believe I know what is in it.”

“Oh, sure you do,” Albus said sarcastically. He moved back, giving her space to pull the cage out. He didn’t want that thing landing on my face.

She placed it on the floor, and it kept rattling and shaking. Rose placed a searching hand to her head. After a lot of effort, she pulled a thin, colourful hair clip from her bushy hair and began picking the lock.

“I don’t think it’s right to be picking locks…” Emily murmured shyly, looking around as if she was expecting someone to be spying on them. Rose just shrugged, and her smile grew bigger, causing her freckled nose to look even wider than it was.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Albus asked. If he didn’t know it was his cousin, Rose, kneeling in front of a cage, picking the lock right now, he’d bet it would be either his other cousin, Fred, or maybe his own brother, James. They were more like the sort one would imagine being blamed for breaking and entering.

“I learned a trick or two this summer when I was hanging out with Freddie.” Her eyes sparkled with some kind of wild excitement, and Albus wasn’t sure he wanted to know what other tricks she had learned.

The lock clicked, and Rose placed the clip back in her hair. “Eureka!” she said, pushing the cage’s door open. Ignis’s form seemed distorted as the hair on his back and his lion-like tail rose, his whiskers twisting as he hissed angrily. He didn’t move from the top of Albus’s trunk though.

Something hairy flashed into view and rushed onto Rose’s lap. She smiled triumphantly and petted the constantly moving fur ball. Albus realise that the long, striped, brown and white fluffy thing moving was the creature’s tail. The other side ended on a pointy pink nose and two small, round, faint pink ears.

“I– I– I’ve seen ferrets before… We have some around home… And they’re not that big,” Emily said.

_ Ferrets! That was the word I was looking for. _

“What’s that thing, Rose?” Albus asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “A forest troll?!”

“That’s what trolls are like?” Emily asked, her eyes growing huge with surprise.

“Don’t listen to him,” Rose told her. “Even a Muggle would know that trolls don’t look like this.” Albus frowned, and she stuck her tongue out at him. “It’s a Jarvey.” The thing stood finally still, and he realised it was indeed like an oversized ferret. It nudged Rose’s chin and pulled at her shirt. “It won’t hurt you. Come on, touch it,” Rose urged Emily.

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. A hundred percent.”

Emily had barely started stretching her arm when the Jarvey leaped out of Rose’s arms and went to Emily. For a second, it look as if it was going to attack to her, but to his surprise it sniffed her shoes and rubbed his muzzle against her leg.

“It’s not so bad, is it?” Rose asked her, and she shook her head, relief washing over her face.

“It’s rather social,” Emily agreed.

The metallic door of the carriage slid open with a loud bang, and all of them instantly turned around to see who came in. The yellow light from the carriage behind him lit the edges of his figure, and his face was dark. Albus saw a thin body, not too tall, more childish. The frame of his head was surrounded by short, bleached-blond hair. In the dimming afternoon light, his skin looked pale, as if the sun didn’t see him much. He was dressed in the school robes and was holding something long and thin, probably a wand.

Any words that he tried to say seemed to be stuck at the tip of his tongue, not daring to go any further. His throat felt tight and dry, and he exchanged a nervous glance with Rose, who finally, even this late, had realised how much trouble this could get them into.

The figure moved, a hand stretching on the side, looking for the light switch.

The room turned brighter, his face now in full view. He was that boy we had seen at the platform, the one with the blond hair and the grey eyes. Crabbious Malfoy or something like that… Albus couldn’t recall his first name… It had to do with some kind of animal…  _ something with pinchers. _

“Hi, Scorpius,” Rose said calmly, as if they were actually friends.

_ Scorpius! Yes, that’s the name! _ Albus thought and peeked at the Jarvey’s cage. S.M.  _ That’s what it must mean. Scorpius Malfoy. _

Scorpius didn’t appear to be too enthusiastic about Rose’s intimate greeting. “What are you doing?” he demanded, lifting his wand. He was holding it all wrong though… Albus could swear Scorpius didn’t know how to use it any more than he did.

Rose’s Kneazle hopped off his trunk finally, landed gracefully on four hairy legs and walked towards them, coming to stand next to Rose. Ignis’s hair seemed to rise from standing too close to the Jarvey, but it wasn’t his biggest concern now. Ignis was eyeing Scorpius carefully.

“We came to check on my cousin’s owl,” Rose stated simply, as if she spoke the truth. Now that he came to think about it… she was being honest.

“Then why are you holding my jarvey?!” He moved his gaze from Rose to Emily, who looked really nervous.

“I’m not holding it! It’s standing at my feet,” Emily said, sounding more confident than she probably was.

“It was out of the cage, jumping around when we came here,” Rose continued.  _ Okay, now _ that  _ is lying. _ “And put that thing down before you get hurt.” She pointed at his wand with a small pink finger, but he ignored her.

“I don’t believe you.”

Rose shrugged and got on her feet, dusting herself off. “As you wish.”

“Annoying small cage! Annooooying small cage!” The high-pitched, scream-like voice reached their ears again. Until now, he hadn’t believed that it was really the Jarvey making that sound, but seeing its mouth moving made it all real. It hurried to get around Scorpius’s feet, repeating the same thing in its eardrum-piercing tone.

A smirk of annoyance was plastered on Scorpius’s face, but he hid his wand in his school robes.

“Maybe you should take it with you wherever you’re sitting,” Rose suggested. “It doesn’t like that cage much.”

Without another word, Scorpius turned around, the jarvey right on his tracks, fluffy striped tail going up and down as it followed its master.

As soon as he was out of sight and the door slid back in place, Albus glared at my cousin.

“ _ What _ ?” she asked, grinning cunningly.

“We could have gotten in trouble already.”

“But we  _ didn’t _ , right?”

Albus took a deep breath, trying to swallow back his annoyance. “No. We didn’t.”

“Maybe we should go back and sit,” Emily suggested, trying to ease the tension between the two cousins. The truth was, that they rarely fought with each other. Rose and he were practically siblings. The inseparable, never fighting kind. That day though, Albus  couldn’t help but be a little edgy. No matter what Rose said, he had a bad feeling about the Sorting Hat. He didn’t know why… It was just that James’s words kept spinning around my head.

_ “I'm sorry, Albus, you're just doomed to be in Slytherin. You have all of the characteristics of someone I knew who ended up in there.” _

What if, for some reason, James was right? Maybe he had some kind of premonition… because he’s a Parseltongue? He couldn’t help but wonder.

They headed back to their compartment, Rose and Emily talking excitedly while Albus was too lost in thought to even pay attention to what they were saying. He took a book out of the small bag his mum had forced on him and noticed his school robe stuffed in it.

“We should change soon as well,” he reminded them and started reading, trying to forget Houses and Sorting Hats and anything that had to do with their arrival at Hogwarts.


End file.
